The
Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau (QCCVB) has announced
its designation as an accredited convention and visitors bureau from
the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program, developed by the
Washington, D.C.-based Destination Marketing Association
International.
The only other destination
marketing organizations in Iowa and Illinois to receive this
accreditation are the Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau and
the Greater Woodfield Convention & Visitors Bureau in the Chicago
area. For more information on the QCCVB, visit
(http://www.visitquadcities.com).

The
American Cancer Society currently is in need of volunteer drivers for
its Road to Recovery program in Scott County.
This service is designed to
provide cancer patients with free transportation to and from their
treatments when no other means are available to them. Recently,
cancer patients' requests for transportation were turned down
because of growing demand; 15 drivers were scheduled to drive, while
19 requests were made. Interested men and women can contact Stacy
Stackis at (563) 589-2437 or (
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).

The
West Family YMCA, a branch of the Scott County Family Y, will hold
the Spin-a-Day Away biking event on Saturday, March 29.
The Spin-a-Day Away fundraiser
costs $15 per hour or $100 per bike for the day. Every dollar raised
goes directly to the Scott County Family Y's Partner with
Youth/Kids to Camp Annual Campaign. The event pushes off at 8 a.m. at
the West Family YMCA, 3503 West Locust Street in Davenport. For more
information about this event or to make a reservation, call
(563) 386-4414. For more information about the programs and services
offered through the Scott County Family Y, visit
(http://www.scottcountyfamilyy.org).

The
Scott County Chapter, Order of DeMolay, will be having a pancake
breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 19, at Hamilton Lodge,
2412 Grant Street in Bettendorf.
The cost is $5. For more
information on this breakfast or DeMolay membership and its
activities, contact Bill Odom at (563) 370-3080 or (
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).

WQPT
is accepting film submissions for an independent film project. WQPT
is launching a 10-part series that will feature the work of area
filmmakers.
Documentaries, feature films,
and short subjects will all be considered. Hosted by Tammy and Kelly
Rundle, the program will also take a look at the creative process
behind each film. All films must be submitted on DVD and accompanied
by an application form. Submitting your film does not guarantee that
it will be included in the program. For more information, visit
(http://www.wqpt.org).

On
April 1, the Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra will entertain and
educate nearly 6,000 area fourth- and fifth-grade students with its
annual Symphony Day, now in its 25th year. Three
narrated concerts at the Adler Theatre highlight the families of
musical instruments and orchestra sections through short and varied
works. This year's program will is called "Celebrate!" and
includes music composed by Nashville High School student Christopher
Lowry and a piece commissioned from Dana Wilson in honor of the Youth
Orchestra's 50th anniversary, as well as music from Frescobaldi,
Dvorak, and John Phillips Sousa.

The
Rock Island Community Foundation is now accepting grant applications.
All organizations interested in
requesting funding must complete a brief application form. Grants are
awarded annually to not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizations.
Applications must be postmarked by June 30, and grants will be
announced by the Board of Governors in writing by August 31. Last
year the Rock Island Community Foundation awarded $96,500 to 36
community organizations. For a grant application, visit
(http://www.ricf.org) or call (309) 269-4412.

The
Democratic and Republican leaders of the U.S. House Oversight &
Government Reform Committee joined Representative Bruce Braley
(D-Iowa) to request additional documents from the Department of
Defense relating to an Army error leading to a denial of GI Bill
education benefits to hundreds of members of the Minnesota and Iowa
National Guard that served in Iraq. The
first request to the Department of Defense for the documents was
October 31. Additional background on the investigation can be found
at (http://braley.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=77088).

The
Bettendorf Family Museum and Iowa State University's Department of
Entomology will present the Insect Zoo on Thursday, March 20, from 1
to 2:30 p.m. and Friday, March 21, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the
museum's Great Hall.
Participants can view and
interact with live insects and arthropods while the Insect Zoo's
educational-outreach coordinator presents an informational program.
Insects are the largest and most diverse group of living organisms in
the world, with an estimated 5 million species. Only 1 million of
those species are named, and only a small fraction of these are known
in detail. For more information about the Insect Zoo and the Iowa
State University Department of Entomology, call (515) 294-7400 or
visit (http://www.ent.iastate.edu). The event is included with
regular museum admission.